It’s been a dramatic week in a year already full of drama, with Donald Trump’s sabre rattling over Greenland, and subsequent threat to impose further tariffs, causing alarm before being walked back on the basis of an apparent compromise.

But with that saga now seemingly in the rear-view mirror – for how long, we don’t know – we kick things off today with space exploration, which does have specific application to the current geopolitical debates as we shall discuss shortly. Mike Fahy is on hand to examine how the soaring space sector is faring ahead of a possible SpaceX IPO later this year.

Then it’s on to the latest part of the tech sector to attract widespread investor interest as a result of the AI craze: memory chip stocks in the US and further afield have been booming as people cotton on to the vital role they play in data centres. Arthur Sants, recently returned from a trip to the factories of South Korea, will discuss shares, shortages and smartphone prices, among other things.

And to finish up we will be back on home turf as Julian Hofmann joins us to discuss the bid interest in Lloyd’s insurer Beazley from Zurich, and the prospects for more consolidation across the sector in general.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

1:29 Space Industry

13:11 Memory chips

21:43 Beazley takeover offer

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

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For their latest company interview, Lord Lee and Alex Newman sit down with Lawrence Hutchings, who joined Workspace as CEO in November 2024.

That conversation, which was taped on 9 January, was to be one of Hutchings' last in the role. Ten days after the recording, and amid mounting activist pressure from shareholder Saba Capital, Workspace abruptly announced Hutchings would be replaced as CEO by Charlie Green, co-founder of the Office Group.

Despite this, we are publishing the conversation below, together with some of John's initial thoughts. Commenting on his own appointment, Green said "the strategy in place is clear and provides the right platform to rebuild occupancy and drive income growth over time." Presumably that means a degree of continuity.

Let us know your thoughts on the move, or if you have any questions or any suggestions for future guests, by emailing alex.newman@ft.com

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Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It may be dry January for some, but this week we are settling down with the pub companies amid a raft of news for the sector in recent days. Mark Robinson is here to discuss the bumper Christmas periods that many in the sector enjoyed, the imminent U-turn on business rate hikes likely to be announced by the government in the days ahead, the US activist putting the pressure on Marston’s (MARS) and more.

After that we turn our attention to one government reform that’s not being reversed – the Renters’ Rights Act is due to come into force this year, and that puts pressure on landlords to comply. Holly McKechnie will explain what that means for the rental market, and also talk us through the other changes coming in that could have an even bigger impact on buy-to-let properties.

Lastly, we look at gene sequencing device maker Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), one of the 2021 UK IPOs that have done especially badly, but which has shown some signs of life in recent months. Julian Hofmann will examine the company’s full-year trading update for clues to its future prospects.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:06 Pubs winter rally

14:20 Renters' Rights Act

26:26 Oxford Nanopore

Read the articles highlighted in the show:

Mitchells & Butlers: Pricier pints power profit growth

Does it still pay to be a landlord?

Oxford Nanopore returns to growth

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.